Adaptive Control to Derive a Ride Comfort Mode in Rotorcraft

Prolonged turbulence can result in the experience of kinetosis (motion sickness) among helicopter passengers, thereby negatively impacting the ride comfort of the flight. To address this issue, a comfort mode, analogous to that employed in the automotive industry, can be implemented for the helicopter flight control system. In order to design the comfort mode, a closed-loop reference model of the helicopter is derived that leads to minimal kinetosis at given turbulence intensities. Adaptive control laws from the model reference adaptive control framework are employed and evaluated to modify nominal closed-loop behavior in accordance with the derived reference model when the comfort mode is engaged. The efficacy of adaptive control laws in reducing the severity of kinetosis is demonstrated through simulations. These control laws compensate for the negative effects of turbulence, thereby contributing to a more comfortable flight experience.